The European Parliament on Thursday, September 11, 2025, adopted a strong resolution (2025/2862(RSP)) concerning the case of Abdoul Aziz Goma, an Irish-Togolese citizen who has been detained in Lomé since December 2018. Lawmakers condemned what they described as arbitrary detention, acts of torture, and an unfair trial, urging his immediate release and urgent medical evacuation.
Goma was arrested for “assisting local demonstrators during protests ahead of elections” and, in February 2025, was sentenced to ten years in prison “after a one-day trial,” alongside thirteen others. Members of Parliament denounced a verdict delivered “amid serious concerns about the fairness of the proceedings.”
According to the resolution, Goma endured “severe torture,” was “held incommunicado for an extended period,” and spent “more than six years in pretrial detention under inhumane conditions.” Since August 27, he has been on a hunger strike to protest his situation. His health is reported to be in critical condition, with “neurological damage, severe sciatica, and limited mobility requiring urgent medical assistance.”
The text recalls that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had already concluded, in 2023, that his fundamental rights—including “freedom of assembly, freedom of association, and the right to a fair trial”—were violated. The civil prison of Lomé, described as “extremely overcrowded” and “failing to meet international standards,” was also the subject of a 2019 recommendation by the UN Committee Against Torture calling for its closure.
Beyond Goma’s case, lawmakers warned that “arbitrary arrests of citizens, especially civil society activists, erode public trust in institutions and heighten political tensions.” The resolution described the Goma case as “symptomatic of the serious democratic backsliding in Togo,” referencing the 2024 constitutional changes.
The European Parliament “strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest” of Goma and “urgently calls on Togolese authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally,” while demanding that his conviction be annulled and his safety guaranteed. It also urged the European Union and its member states to use “diplomatic channels to resolve the case” and to support “efforts to strengthen judicial independence and the rule of law in Togo.”
In Lomé, however, the response has been dismissive. Sources close to the government accused the Parliament of “instrumentalization” and “attempted interference,” saying the resolution seeks to pressure Togo into abandoning its penal code and submitting to foreign demands that contradict international law’s recognition of national judicial sovereignty.
Togo – European Parliament calls for immediate release of Abdoul Aziz Goma
